Munich (dpa/lby) - To prepare for possible infrastructure failures or a long power outage, all Bavarian civil protection authorities are receiving satellite radios. According to the Interior Ministry, more than 320 devices will be made available. In addition, there would be almost 100 more devices for the police, it said on Wednesday.
The delivery of the first satellite two-way radios is expected to take place before Christmas. The other devices should then follow promptly and delivery should be completed in the first quarter of 2023.
The procurement of the devices is paid in full by the Free State, said a ministry spokeswoman. One million euros are estimated for this. The running costs for the push-to-talk devices - there are no additional call charges - are to be borne by the lower district administration authorities themselves. The state budget takes care of this for the governments and the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior. The police equipment would be financed from their budget.
"These devices are intended for situations in which conventional communication links no longer work, e.g. in the event of a significant destruction of the infrastructure or a large-scale, long-lasting power failure," said a ministry spokeswoman.
